The Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) is set to resume its Santolan to Anonas run by the first quarter of 2021, more than a year since a fire shut down the operation of the three stations.
"The resumption of operations of Santolan, Katipunan, and Anonas stations, which were closed after a fire damaged power rectifiers and some railway tracks, is slated this first quarter of 2021," the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said in a statement.
Operations from Santolan to Anonas stations have been suspended since October 2019 after a fire damaged two rectifier substations in Katipunan and Anonas.
The resumption of the railway's full operations was initially set in June 2020 but was delayed as community lockdowns slowed down repairs.
Apart from the expected reopening of the three existing stations, the DOTr mentioned that the two new stations under the LRT-2 East Extension Project – Emerald in Marikina City and Masinag at the Masinag Junction in Antipolo City – would also be operational by April 26.
"It’s a beautiful station, let us finish it right away so the Filipino people can enjoy this station," Tugade told Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa during his visit to the rail line last week.
The East Extension Project intends to add four kilometers to the 13.8-kilometer LRT-2 train line which currently runs from Recto Ave. in Manila to Santolan Station in Marikina, connecting to Antipolo City.
Upon completion of this extension project, the Department said that travel time from Recto to Masinag is expected to significantly drop to about 40 minutes from the usual three hours travel through bus or jeepney.
It can also accommodate an additional 80,000 passengers daily once operational, boosting the LRT-2's current daily ridership of 240,000 passengers., the DOTr added.